Yes, what a chess match gentlemen and congrats to André/Clorofila and the AXIS for their hard earned point and just not enough for JAParker! Well done to both and too bad AP didn't come up for JAParker, might have made a big difference!

Off on the comeback trail we go, a few points to make up, looks to be an exciting round if this 1st battle is any indication!

I am happy to report that you won't have to send me to the Eastern Front(oh yeah, I'm already there!) or to the firing squad. The battle against JayKay was epic. This was his first time playing the scenario and he played it very well. The final score was 12-10 Axis. After he jumped out to a 9-3 lead the tide turned as I continued to get better and better cards. TWO infantry assault cards at the end of the game were decisive as the Axis captured all 3 objectives! I needed them as my 'shooting' was pretty bad. Anyway, thanks for a great game Jim. It was another nailbiter.

Axis 12

Infantry 22 of 43 for 51%
Armor 6 of 36 for 17%
Artillery 0 of 5 for 0%

Well done to Eric/LL and to JK2010, close battle and 2 pts denied to the ALLIES and now we will have to return the favor!! 12-8 and the lead grows with 6 battles to go, 1 of those a 2 pt match for the AXIS.

So far, 12-11 and 12-10, close and exciting, ALLIES need a pull out a win or 5 to stop the bleeding!!

Does the running total of matches won from Rd to Rd matter? I thought it was how many matches were won per round. Not sure how the scoring goes here.

Each match is worth either 1 pt for the victor except if the player is appointed the 2 pt player for the round and wins, then 2 pts if that player wins his match, if opponent wins still only 1 pt, at most a team can win 9 pts, 8 matches, 7 worth 1 pt and 1 match worth 2 pts

What can I say?
Van Voort secured victory with the smallest possible margin. But let it be known, either VV was looking over my shoulder or not I will never know, but fact is that it was feeling like he could predict my every move ...

Perhaps that just the trademark of the finest of generals ...

I thank my opponent for the intense battle and the turn-by-turn commentary you can read above. And (of course) LooneyLlama for another fantastic scenario! I'm looking forward to our next assignment

Wow, reads like a what's what of an excellent back and forth, give and take, push and shove and finally a fitting ending due to BARRAGE!!!

Thank you V V for that victory and for of course ORDER 227 for inspiration, another close battle, this one the way of the ALLIES!!! Get 1 pt back and now to continue getting more.

Looks like my battle with ARTIMON is scheduled for this weekend, he had some work ob's and will on to battle on 01-26-13, 1500/2300 or so. Perhaps will be the the battle for the winner of the round or at least to keep the bonus to a minimum!!!

Excellent battle and well fought on both of the V's, good thing for the ALLIES that our guy had 2 V's to their 1 V!!!

I am pleased to report that the Russian Army has held Stalingrad. The enemy first attacked on our right to take the tractor factory, but we held our own while the Axis slowly took casualties and retreated. We also held the right and center for the win.

Tough battle for us Germans. Every time I would roll 1d against their right flank, their right flank would respond with 2d against me. And at the end of the battle, I moved in the center for the first time in several rounds with an Infantry Assault, taking a foothold in the factory ... and a Russian Attack Center killed my unit in the factory -- the winning medal for them, and minus two for us.

Tough battle for us Germans. Every time I would roll 1d against their right flank, their right flank would respond with 2d against me. And at the end of the battle, I moved in the center for the first time in several rounds with an Infantry Assault, taking a foothold in the factory ... and a Russian Attack Center killed my unit in the factory -- the winning medal for them, and minus two for us.

Well played, Geoff.

Well done Geoff and hope you remembered to get SAC Helcat's sword back for him!

Amazing as to the amount of damage you were able to inflict on your Right flank and the number of cards you had on this side to hold S1812 off and the occasional 1-1-1 and MO and of course the timely CENTER cards as well at the end.

Well, 2-2 this round, 12-10 pts AXIS, and 4 more battles to go!! Well fought to both and Geoff remains unbeaten and a point getting machine!

That was a trap ! Russians were waiting us and it was a nightmare. Central sector was totaly devasted by an Amoured Assault very well prepared... and my communications with this sector were cut soon and until the end of the battle...

That was a trap ! Russians were waiting us and it was a nightmare. Central sector was totaly devasted by an Amoured Assault very well prepared... and my communications with this sector were cut soon and until the end of the battle...

Yes, indeed, a trap and most appropriate for the "War of the Rats" as Rattenkrieg is known!! A rat trap of the most fortunate kind!!

Things started slowly, with both opening with PROBE 2 in the CENTER, which isn't as bad as it sounds, but I don't know of anyone that enjoys a PROBING in the CENTER!!

VASILY taking one hit on initial volley from AXIS and then retreating to town on the far right of ROF and ALLIES responded with SNIPER fire of their own and 2 hits on INF on ridge.

The LEGEND of VASILY was quickly put to rest on AXIS next turn, RECON CENTER and targeted 4 units in ROF and VASILY a casualty of the STUKA STRIKE and wiped off the map!! 1 hit and 1 flag for the other units.

ALLIES Attack 3 on LEFT, ENGINEERS crossed VOLGA and lost a man and ART misfired on tanks by rubble north of ROF.

AXIS PROBE 2 RIGHT, SF unit to town and TANKS to CENTER and 2 hits on on Russian unit outside of rubble by BF and 1 flag.

1/4 of the way in, no kills for either side, except VASILY, ALLIES 2-2 PM and ART moves up on VOLGA outside of ROF and 2 hits on AXIS from SNIPER and TW unit.

Next AXIS ATTACK 3 on LEFT and moves on TW and gets 1 hit, 2 SF units and other unit positioned outside of TW.

Here, ALLIES ALL in on CENTER and hopes of causing some damage, not to be, ART moves on VOLGA, SF unit into BF, others fire on AXIS SF unit is CENTER town, 2 hits and SF unit still alive.

AXIS had MEDICS nearby, unit back to full strength and 1st kill of game, Russian unit outside of rubble, 5-1 ALLES at this point and no real prospects in sight!!

ALLIES decide it is time for a FIREFIGHT and fire back, 3 of 10 on dice, several flags and AXIS move back and away from danger, major damage avoided.

AXIS PROBE 2 right and move ART up on RIDGE and ENGINEERS towards the CENTER, looking for position.

ALLIES ATTACK 3 RIGHT, 2 hits and still no kills 1/2 way into the battle!!! Managed to reduce 1 AXIS unit to 1 figure.

1/2 way in, still 5-1 ALLIES, no kills for ALLIES and only 1 for AXIS and this is when the ACTION starts to heat up!!! AXIS DFHQ and move 2 tanks towards ROF and commence assault there, 2 hits on sandbagged unit and down to 1 figure.

ALLIES ATTACK 3 CENTER and start to position for an AA to follow, move SF TANKS up and move SNIPER to TW and and hit on 2 shots from tank and ART on CENTER AXIS SF UNIT.

AXIS moves ALL in on RIGHT, moves 2 tanks back to CENTER and attacks single figure in ROF, 4 shots, 4 misses and 1st volley on ARMOR 1 hit and flag.

ALLIES ATTACK 3 RIGHT, misfire on 3 shots, all FLAGS and no damage!!

AXIS break out the STUKAS once again, RECON LEFT and target units in TW and 3 hits and my lone SNIPER a casualty of the STUKAS much like VASILY!!!

3/4 of the way in, turn 20, ALLIES ARMOR ASSAULT and move 2 tanks in CENTER to attack and 3rd tank up and across VOLGA. 11 dice, 1st kill and major damage to 1 AXIS ARMOR unit.

AXIS COUNTERS AA and moves 4 tanks into position, 15 dice later, one dead ALLIES tank and the other down to 1 unit, luckily for me that was the case.

Here, AXIS PROBE 2 on LEFT, move 1 tank over to attack single ALLIES tank and missed on 3 shots at ARMOR and ALLIES ARMOR retreated to town. Key miss in the game.

ALLIES INF ASLT out of ROF and kill SF unit there with combined attack and score 9-2 after turn 24.

AXIS RECON 1 in CENTER and used tank unit to attack ALLIES tank outside TW to no avail and hit on only 1 shot. This move was key for me, as I had ATTACK 3 CENTER next and allowed my lone tank to move out of town and as a result, I attacked his 1 fig and 2 fig INF units on back line on my next move, killing both INF and scoring 1 hit on another 2 fig INF with ART on his right reducing to 1 fig and set me up for the final move of BEL.

2 moves, 3 kills with an AXIS TFH in between, killed the tank and after BEL, final score 12-3 ALLIES.

By the numbers, ALLIES 34-82=41%, AXIS 22-61=36%, INF 26-58=45%, 14-30=47%, ARMOR 8-24=33%, 8-31=26%, no shots on ART for either side.

Had the advantage all around and lack of CENTER cards and bad rolls on AXIS AA hurt ARTIMON's cause, lucky for me or might have turned out differently. Good fight on his part, just lacked the dice and cards and of course some key misses on his part and I was able to take advantage of it.

12-11 AXIS as of this writing and link above on ARTIMON"s post of the battle. I did win the replay, 12-11 in that one, link:

The Allies are on the roll again as even your Commander in Chief finally starts hitting the dice.

An exiting match against JJs Juggernaut ended in a 12-8 victory for the Allies.

I did not know the exact time difference so I was online as of 19:42 and saw the Germans gathering their troops before our town. In the mean time I was doing sentry-go as I could not bear the thought of another Russian defeat on my side.

Josiah's strategy was a good one and tricky to handle. Using the tanks to block snipers, getting a hold of the Tractor Works and trying to use that as a bridgehead to get into Barricady Factory posed a strong medal threat during the game. Luckily I was having quite a good hand of cards all game; and licking the dice before rolling also helped to get my hit percentages into undecent high proportions.

Sam, I have to tell you it was terrible. When rolling I myself almost cracked through Joshua's monitor. And I had to take my Wodka through my nose.

P.S. Did all the matches finish now? I did not think I saw the results of Dugrim - tankcommander on this thread, although it might have been 4-12 given their officers career record and neither did I see Jeronimon - Lucky91 which might have been 12-7 given their officer career record. Or do I need extra carrots this winter?

Sam, I have to tell you it was terrible. When rolling I myself almost cracked through Joshua's monitor. And I had to take my Wodka through my nose.

P.S. Did all the matches finish now? I did not think I saw the results of Dugrim - tankcommander on this thread, although it might have been 4-12 given their officers career record and neither did I see Jeronimon - Lucky91 which might have been 12-7 given their officer career record. Or do I need extra carrots this winter?

We attempted to play and got partway through the game, but Dugrim lost connection. I waited a while but he could not return and I finished the game against the bot. I thought that result should not count so.....

We are to play tomorrow and I hope for better luck (the kind I had in game 1 would do nicely) than I had on my online matches tonight.

Congrats and welcome to the win column!!! Victory makes it 12-12 for the tourney, 4-2 ALLIES so far this round, 2 matches to go, Dugrim VS TC, 2 pt match for AXIS and Jeronimon and L91. At best 6-2 for us, 5-4 them, 5-4 us or 5-3 us, for the round and wide swing in the bonus!!! Obviously 3 results favor us and the bonus, continued success to the ALLIES!

Well played by both you and JJ's Naut, a tight and exciting finish to the round upcoming.

Luc and myself started playing the match but he got disconnected and reconnected and disconnected and reconnected etc.

That's the match you see in our service records.

Luc said he did to want to hold up the tournament, but I told him you are all very patient men and you could easily wait for him. Besides that if the problem is not fixed Luc can't play next rounds either, so let's wait for him to sort it out.

He wanted to fix it this weekend, so hopefully he will resurface soon.

I lost.
A really crazy start let me take initiative, but Russian artillery, and some unlucky dice against infantries cut me off from victory.

101 dice vs 74, 45% hit rate vs 40%

A good game, 5 medals/12 at the start for Russians are really too much to handle without a huge difference in dice throwed and in hit rate.

Well done and congrats to TC on your victory and commiserations to Dugrim, true, too big a dice advantage to overcome, much like our 51 turn practice game, only this time reversed, unfortunately for you.

Lead is ours, 13-12 ALLIES, 5-2 for the round and now have to work on either the 1 or 2 pt bonus or the 1,2,3 or 4 pt bonus, go Lucky91 and ALLIES!

I lost.
A really crazy start let me take initiative, but Russian artillery, and some unlucky dice against infantries cut me off from victory.

101 dice vs 74, 45% hit rate vs 40%

A good game, 5 medals/12 at the start for Russians are really too much to handle without a huge difference in dice throwed and in hit rate.

It was unreal and believe you me, I felt like downing a whole bottle of vodka after a few turns. To see your 2 fig Sniper wiped out in T1 on a 2 attack, then your Elite Tank killed on 6 dice and another tank blasted off the board with 3d. To tell you the truth my morale was broken after that start. If not for me draing Barrage and Air Power in the late game, I would have certainly lost.

I also made a key error late in the game by not advancing my center arty so that it missed out on a possible chance to target a 1 fig infantry to end the game. I was sweating bullets there wondering if I would get another chance. The German Firefight could very well have very well setup a German win in the next turn.

I had but 20 figs left on the board (to 32 German) losing 45 figs - wow!!

I disagree with your assessment of what it takes to win this scenario(high dice and hit rate). Your attempt to kill off 12 units was futile. You have to be aggressive in at least one section and take an objective(preferably a 2 point one) to have a chance to win. Sitting back and trading shots with a 5 medal lead for the Russians is not going to be effective. Even at that, you still had a chance to win.

The percentages also do not bear out your assessment. It is only 57% Allies. Needing high dice and high hit rate would never give the Germans a chance to win 43% of the time. However, I'll bet 100% of the Axis wins involved taking at least one objective and eliminating the Allies from one.

A lot of my scenarios involve taking objectives. I try to make them a priority, as that,in my opinion, makes the scenarios more interesting. A lot of the scenarios we play have objectives that are either too far away, or not necessary to take to win. Then we get a shoot out slugfest, and it just depends on cards and dice. Luca, hopefully you'll enjoy the upcoming scenarios much better.

Looney, I know that take one objective is a must for Axis.
But wipe out (or make them retreat) 3 Infantries (at least) from a fortified position (-1 die Inf, -2 dice Tank) requires a lot of dice and a high hit percentage, I think you should agree with that.
I tried to advance on right flank, but 9 dice (and 3 turns) to kill a 2-fig infantry was too much and let tank commander a lot of time to counterattack on left flank.

I enjoyed this scenario, as I enjoy scenario with objectives, but in my humble opinion a 4 medals as start for Russians should be better.

You did have bad luck with those 9 dice and also with those air strikes against the lone artillery unit. If you would have been successful on either one early, I think you would have won.

Also, in the center there is a sniper on one of the hexes and no one on another of the 4 hexes. On the left there is also one medal hex empty. What I was trying to accomplish with this scenario is to get German units into those medal hexes, irregardless if any Russians are in there. With the Russians using commissar rules, I thought it would be possible to keep them guessing which one you would attack as you got closer to them.

In my victory, I had a less hit percentage overall than Jim but did manage to get units into all three objectives. I did draw good cards at the end to accomplish this. It is a tough go for the Germans. Unfortunately, I think the next scenario is also tough for us. We will have to bring our 'A' game.